Rotary explosive-engine.



No. 743,230. PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

. G. G. BLASDELL.

ROTARY EXPLOSIVE ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1903.

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PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

G 0. BLASDELL. ROTARY EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1903.

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V/QzM/ No. 743,230. PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

G. 0. BLASDELL. ROTARY EXPLQSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1903. N0 MODEL. 4 4 snnm$-snnm s.

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G. 0. BLASDEL'L.

ROTARY EXPLOSIVB ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1903.

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- ate r s versus co, Pnmouma, wnsnmmon n c UNITED STATES i Yatented November 8, 1903.

GRANT C. BLASDELL, OF TOWANDA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY EXPLOSlVl-Z-ENGINE.

iPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 743,230, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed April 6, 1903. Serial No. 151,330. (No model.)

To a whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRANT C. BLASDELL, residing at Towanda, in the county of Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Rotary Explosive-Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improved engine operating under a power produced by the explosion of a suitable working agent (a mixture of gas or gasolene and air) of that. type in which cooling liquids and flywheels are dispensed with and the motor so arranged that the cylinders, together with the actuating pistons or plungers, are rotated around a stationary shaft and adapted to replace the weight of the usual fly wheels. Heretofore in engines of this type great difliculty has been experienced in introducing the working agent into the cylinders uniformly and under a proper ad mixture of the explosive gas and air.

My invention seeks to provide an improved construction of parts constituting an engine of the character stated which overcomes the difficulties heretofore mentioned and which possesses additional advantages in providing for a quick and eitective cooling of the cylinders and the exhausts; and to these ends my invention in its generic nature comprehends an explosive-engine having the cylinders fixedly connected with a hollow casing and rotating with the casing and the plunger pistons around a stationaryhollow shaft and in which the pistons or plungers and the working-agent inlets and exhausts are correlatively arranged to effect a regular and uniform preliminary compression of the working agent within the hollow casing under the back stroke of the plunger-pistons, and for utilizing the expansive forceof the preliminary compressed charge to positively clear the explosion-chambers of the residuum or burned mixtures therein prior to a final compression of the working charge within the cylinders by the outward thrust of the plunger-pistons.

In its more complete nature my invention includes a peculiar cooperative arrangement of the cylinders, the crank-shaft, the plunger-pistons, and pitmen connections joined with a casing-contained crank-shaft, whereby the opposing pitmen connections or drivearms are always relatively the same distance from the wrist-pin or crank-centers and in which the several parts are so designed and to have such predetermined actuations whereby the explosion of the working agent, as also the compression of the said agent prior to the explosion, acts against the centrifugal force of the drive'arms and plunger-pistons to materially relieve the strain upon the bearings and in which the rotation of the casings or bed, the cylinders, &c., is acquired in a manner to save the energy usually lost in other e11- gines of this type heretofore provided in throttling the high as well as the low speed of the pistons and drive-arms.

Again, my invention seeks to provide a casing with the cylinders fixedly connected thereto and having a special internal construction for diffusing the exhaust, cooling the same and the cylinders by the combined quick motion of the casing through the air, and a special means for circulating the air around the exhaust-discharge and for muffiing the cylinders; and, finally, myinvention embodies certain details of construction and peculiar combinations of parts, all of which will hereinafter be'fully described, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an exterior perspective view of my improved explosive-engine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a transverse section thereof on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail View of a portion of the casing of one of the cylinders and the plunger-piston operating therein, the latter being shown in the position to admit a working-agent charge into the explosion end of the cylinder and for exhausting the prior burned residuum. Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating the igniting devices, and Fig. 7 is a detail view ofa governor device operable by the change of speed of therotary motor produced by the variation of the load on the engine.

In the practical construction my invention embodies a cylindrical casing consisting of an annular portion A, in which are contained the cylinders B B, the mniiling-spaces C O, and the exhaust diffusing and cooling oompartments, and the said annular portion A is firmly boltedto a central portion A, which includes the piston-heads or hub-like extensions A one (or both) of which is provided with a sprocket-wheel or drive-pulley a, and each of which has a long adjustable bearing a a. for the diametrically oppositely disposed hollow shaft-sections D D, the inner ends of which are fixedly connected with or integrally joined with the double crank members d d, as best shown in Fig. 1, by reference to which it will be seen that the cylinders B B are disposed diametrically opposite but not in alinement with each other, the cylinder B being in register with the crank member (1 and the cylinder B in register with the crank member d,'it being also seen from the said Fig. 3 that the muffler-chambers are also alternately disposed with reference to a line drawn centrally through the casing, (see X in Fig. 3,) whereby to bring the muffling and cooling chambers C atone side opposite the cylinder B and the chamber 0 in register with the cylinder B, such arrangement of parts being provided to effect a proper balancing of the motor. I

E designates what I term the main compressing-chamber, which is axially situated with respect to the cylinders, and into the said chamber E extend the inner open ends d of the hollow stationary shaft-sections D D',-the outer ends of which are fixedly held in the standards F F, and the said ends are threaded, as at d, to receive coupling-elbows g g, to which connect the feed-pipes G G, that convey the explosive mixture from the vaporizer, (not shown,) which may be of any well-known construction, combined with my improved motor orengine, as conditions may make desirable, and each of the said feedpipes G G has a back check-valve g the reason for which will hereinafter be apparent.

The cylinders B B are of like construction and of a diameter and length to suit the stroke of pistons desired, and in each of the cylinders operates a plunger-piston H H of a special construction, which is bestshown in Fig. 4, from which it will be observed the said plunger-pistons are in the nature of hollow heads h h, in which are mounted the crosspins 71. h with which connect the strap ends '5 t" of the pitmen or driver-arms I I, the inner ends of which have suitable journal-boxes i 2' to engage with their respective crank members d d, as shown. Each head h It has suitable packing-rings h, and the outer end of each of said heads has a cup-shaped extension h at one side of which is an out- Wardly-dischargiug pocket h and at the opposite side a receiving port or space if, the reasons for which will be presently explained. The outer ends of the cylinders, for economy of manufacture and ease of access thereto, are in the nature of detachable plugs J J.

' The cylinders B B have cooling-ribs B,

that project into the combined cooling and muffling chambers C O, as best shown in Fig. 3, and each of the said chambers O 0' extends segmentally at each side of the cylinders, and the said chambers O O in that portion in advance of the cylindersthat is, on the downgoing side-have radial fan-slots c c, which are so disposed to provide for a free ingress of air within the said extensions 0 O, and at the rear of the cylinders the spaces 0 C have apertures c c for the exhaust of the air, and as the said spaces 0 C extend between the cylinders and the cap-plates L L (the latter forming the outer walls of the said spaces C C') it follows that under a rapid motion of the motor through the air a constant circulation of air is maintained within the spaces 0 O, which muflies the noises prod uoed within the cylinderand serves to effectively coolthe said cylinders and also the exhaust-passages, as hereinafter again referred to.

With each of the cylinders B B connects a feed-port, and the said ports (designated M M) have their entrant ends in communication with the main compression-chamber E, and the said ports M M are disposed diametrically opposite each other and adjacent to their respective cylinders B B. The discharge ends of the ports M M are so disposed relatively to the stroke of the plunger-pistons that at no time are they in communication with that portion of the cylinders B B inside of the rear or back end of the plunger-pistons, and they are so arranged'as to register with the pockets h of the said pistons when the latter reach the limit of their inward thrust, whereby to permit of the entrance of a charge of initially compressed working agent into the explosion end of the cylinders.

N N designate exhaust-ports, one for each cylinder, which connect with the cylinders at points diametrically opposite the dischargeface of the inlets M M, and the said ports N N discharge into the first ones of a series of radially-disposed spaces 0 O, that communicate with each other through the staggerlyarranged openings 0 o in theseveral divisionwalls P P, (see Fig. 2,) and the last ones 0 O of each set of the spaces 0 0 have an outlet-throat Q Q, which discharges to atmosphere and which extends under hood portions q q, projected into the combined cooling and moving spaces 0 C. The ports N N, as will be noticed from the drawings, are located within that portion of the cooling-spaces over which the air-exhausts are so located within the said spaces that the air therein encircles them'before escaping.

In my construction of engine provision is made for exploding the charge by electric sparking devices R R. The terminals '1" 'r are projected within the outer ends of the cylinders B B, as best shown in Fig. 2, and the said sparking devices are energized by the closing of the circuits connected therewith at proper predetermined times, which operation may be effected in any well-known IIO manner-for example, by mounting a springplate contact member S on one of the standards projected in the plane of an opposing contact-plate S, suitably mounted on the rotary portion of the motor and arranged to engage with the plate S at proper predetermined times-thatis,when theworkingcharge in advance of the plungerpiston is at the maximum compression.

The manner in which my invention operates is explained as follows: Assuming the motor-engine to be running in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 and the plunger-pistons to be moving outwardlythat is, toward the heads of the cylindersthe said movement of the plungers will now create a vacuum within the central chamber E, and thereby suck in a charge of working agent from within the opposite hollow pipesections D D, the valves in the feed-pipes G G now opening to admit of a free flow of the vapor, which then fills into the said chamber E, and assuming a prior working agent to be in each of the cylinders in front of the pistons said charges will now be being compressed to the maximum degree, and when this occurs the electric contacts that control the sparking devices will be in a closed engagement, and thereby ignite and explode the said charges, which then impel the plungers backward. The backward thrust of the plungers pushes on and compresses the explosive mixture within the central chamber, and since the check-valves in the feed-pipes G G are now closed the said mixture is subjected to an initial compression. When the plungers reach the limit of their back thrust, the pockets h thereof will momentarily register with the discharge ends of the inlet-ports M M, and the partially-compressed mixture within the chamber E will then flow into the cylinder ends in advance of the plunger, the curved faces of the pockets h on the plungers serving to deflect the said charge outward, (see arrows on Fig. 6,) and the cup extensions 71. will trap the said charges and prevent them flowing directly toward the exhausts N N, which at this time are open to the upper end of the cylinders, and by reason of the peculiar construction of the plunger or piston heads, as stated,the partially-compressed charge will in entering the extension ends of the cylinder at once blow out the residuum or burned mixture contained therein through the ports or ways k into the exhausts N N, it being understood that the operation of feeding the charge into the explosion-chamber and the blowing out of the burned mixture is an almost instantaneous one, as the plungers im-' mediately begin to move outward and cut off the inlets M M and the exhausts N N and compress the charging front of them to the maximum or exploding point.

Each of the exhaust-diffusing spaces or chambers O O is preferably formed with an opening 0*, normally closed by a screw-plug 0 said openings being provided to permit of and the said governor devices each consist of a a two-way valve V, mounted within inlets to the cylinder, to the stem of which is secured a weight-arm T, normally moved to one position by a coil-spring U and to its other position by centrifugal force, it being readily understood that the varying loads on the engine in changing the momentum of the motor will shift the said arm to adjust the valve to a full-open or to a closed position. While I prefer on the score of economy to use the governor such as described and shown in Fig. 7, it is obvious that any other centrifugal-acting governor mechanism may be used in connection with the motor devices, and, furthermore, while the general arrangement of the parts as shown and described is a preferred one it is manifest that the said parts may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope of the appended claims.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed the advantages of my invention and the complete operation thereof will be readily understood.

Among other important advantages it should be stated that in my construction of engine there is no necessity of separate balance-wheels to carry the several parts over the dead-center, and the said several parts are so joined that the entire engine of motor mechanism can be compactly assembled and in a manner convenient for using the same for launches, automobiles, and motor-cycles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas-engine as described, the combination with hollow stationarily-held shaftsection, vapor-feed devices connected therewith, a check-valve in each of said devices, a pair of stationary oppositely-projected cranks joined with the shaft-sections, a rotary casing for the cranks provided with a pair of oppositely-disposed cylinders and a series of exhaust-difiusing chambers communicating with said oppositely-disposed cylinders, said casin g also being formed with a centrally-disposed collecting-chamber into which the hol- 10w shaft sections discharge the working agent, said oppositely-disposed cylinders having their peripheral ends opened, screw-plugs for closing said ends, said diifusing-chambers having an exhaust-outlet and peripheral openings, plugs for closing said peripheral openings, a plunger-piston for each cylinder connected with the cranks, a feed-port for each cylinder, said ports communicating with the centrally-disposed collecting-chamber, an exhaust-port for each cylinder connecting with said exhaustdiffusing chambers,said exhaust and said feed ports of the cylinders being controlled by the shifting movement of the plunger-pistons, as set forth.

2. In an engine as described; in combination with a rotary casing, a stationary hollow shaft on which the said casing rotates, adapted to convey the explosive mixture therein, check-valve devices for preventing the escape of the mixture back through the shaft, said casing carrying a pair of oppositely-disposed cylinders, a pair of oppositely-disposed crank members fixedly connected with the shaft and located within the casing, a plunger-piston for each cylinder joined with each crank, said casing including a separate cooling and muffiing space surrounding each cylinder, said space having air-inlets at one side of the cylinder and air-outlets at the other side thereof, feed-ports connecting the casing and the cylinders, and exhaust-ports connecting the cylinders with the atmosphere, said inlets and exhaust-ports being controlled by the shifting of the plunger-heads, as set forth.

3. In an engine of the character stated, the combination with a rotatable casing having a central collecting-chamber, a pair of openended cylinders formed within said casing, screw-plugs for closing the outer ends of said cylinders, the inner ends of said cylinders directly communicating with said central collecting-chamber,said cylinders having a feedport at one side and an exhaust diametrically opposite to the feed-port, a series of exhaustdiffusing chambers having an exhaust-outlet communicating through said exhaust-ports with the cylinders, means for causing an air circulation around said cylinders, and means for cooling the outlet of the exhaust-diffusing chambers,of a plunger-piston movable within said cylinders and having portions for coopcrating with the inlet and outlet ports at predetermined times, for the purposes described.

4. In an engine as described, a stationary hollow shaft, a casing rotatably mounted thereon, said casing having an axial collecting-chamber into which the hollow shafts discharge the working agent, a pair of fixedlyheld oppositely-disposed cranks within the casing, said casing having a pair of oppositely-disposed cylinders, a plunger-piston for each cylinder, a crank and feed-inlet connecting each cylinder with the crank-chamber of the casing, an exhaust-port connected with each cylinder, a series of hollow pockets within the casing connected with each other and with the exhaust-ports of the cylinders, said hollow pockets having an outletdischarge into atmosphere and means for aircooling the said cylinders and outlets, arranged substantially as shown and described.

5. In an engine of the character described, the combination of the rotary casing, the cylinders, the piston-plungers and drive-arms rotatable therewith, the stationary shaft and the cranks, and means for conveying the working agentinto the casing and from thence into the cylinders, the said cylinders having exhausts, the casing having hollow spaces surrounding the cylinders, the outer walls of which at a point in advance of the cylinders having radially-disposed slots for the ingress of air and provided at a point to the rear of the cylinders with air-outlets, as shown and described.

GRANT O. BLASDELL.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. CODDING, LEVI S. BLASDELL. 

